A "500 Mbps" plan means up to 500 Mbps under ideal conditions — not a guaranteed floor. Peak-hour congestion, Wi-Fi, and distance from the local exchange all pull real speeds below the advertised number.
Advertised broadband speeds are marketed as maximums by design, and the gap between plan speed and measured speed usually isn’t a fault — it’s Wi-Fi range, a shared neighbourhood connection at busy hours, or simply a different route than the one used for marketing numbers.
Some plans genuinely do commit. A business line with a committed information rate and an SLA guarantees a floor and pays out when it misses — which is most of what you are buying, and why it costs several times a consumer line at the same headline speed.
Estimate with the rule, then check it against the calculator that models it properly.
Open Internet Speed Test →A "500 Mbps" plan means up to 500 Mbps under ideal conditions — not a guaranteed floor. Peak-hour congestion, Wi-Fi, and distance from the local exchange all pull real speeds below the advertised number. Advertised broadband speeds are marketed as maximums by design, and the gap between plan speed and measured speed usually isn’t a fault — it’s Wi-Fi range, a shared neighbourhood connection at busy hours, or simply a different route than the one used for marketing numbers.